Basin Dev’t Underway in Southern Region

The Southern Regional State Agriculture Bureau is undertaking basin development on 1.5 million hectares of land, it announced. The development activities are being carried out on depleted land in various weredas and rural kebeles of the state, according to Brehanu Tofa, head of the government communications affairs bureau. The water and soil conservation works as well as animal and crop development activities are being executed through development agents organised in various parts of the state, Brehanu said. Natural resources management training has also been offered to 12,000 agriculture and conservation professionals for the success of the basin development, he said.

Enterprise to Produce 140,000ql Select Seed

The Oromia Seed Enterprise plans to produce around 140,000ql of selected seed over the next five years with a view to meeting the ever-increasing demand of the state, it announced. The stated amount is to be harvested from 5,450ht of land, according to Kedit Nefo, manager of the enterprise. Wheat and maize will account for 90pc of the total seeds, which will contribute to covering 240,00ht, Kedit said. The enterprise has trained farmers and is producing 20,000ql of select seed, according to the manager.

Doloda Readies Schools worth 7.7m Br

Schools that were constructed at a cost of around 7.7 million Br have been readied for service over the past six months in Doloda Wereda of Somali Regional State. Out of the 10 schools, nine are primary and secondary schools, according to the wereda education office. Upon becoming operational in the next academic year, 1,600 students would be able to enrol at the facilities to raise the education coverage of the wereda from 70pc to 84pc, according to the office.

Dabo Residents Contributing to 30km Road

Over 30km of road is being constructed in collaboration with the government and residents in Dabo Wereda of Illubabour Zone, Oromia Regional State, according to the wereda road transport office. The road interconnects seven rural localities and Kone, the wereda capital, according to Muktar Mohammed, deputy head of the office. The wereda administration has allocated nearly half a million Birr while 26,000 residents have been contributing free labour and support for the construction of the road, Muktar said. Construction of 15km of the road has been finalised, and the remaining part of the road is due to be completed by the end of the Ethiopian year, he said.

East Wollega Vet Clinics to cost 3m Br

Veterinary clinics are being constructed at a cost of three million Birr in East Wollega Zone, Oromia Regional State, according to the zonal livestock resources development and health office. The construction of 12 clinics is underway in 12 weredas of the zone with each clinic to provide service for around 20,000 animals, according to Abera Deresa, office head. The government and the public are covering the construction costs of the facilities, of which 70pc has been completed, Abera said.

Special Zone Licenses Investors with 657m Br

Investors with a total of 657 million Br in registered capital have been issued licences in Oromia Special Zone over the past eight months. The 23 investors have been licensed to engage in various investment activities on about 113,000ht of land, according to Admasu Teshome, deputy administrator of the zone. A total of 43 other investors with 469.8 million Br in combined capital are awaiting licences to begin engaging in various investment sectors, Admasu said. The projects, which have employed over 61,000 people so far, are expected to create 169,055 casual and permanent jobs upon going fully operational, according to the deputy administrator.

Southern Region Earns 601m Br in 6 Months

The Southern Regional State Revenues Authority collected over 601 million Br in the first half of the budget year, it announced. The taxes were collected direct and indirect as well as from municipal services, according to Moges Balch, director of the authority. The income obtained in the reported period surpassed that collected in the same period of the previous year by 411 million Br, Moges said. There are around 2,836 registered VAT payers in the regional state, he said.

SNP Towns Get Quality Control Centres for Coffee

The Southern Nations Peoples State’s two coffee quality control and certification centres have begun rendering service in Wolayita Sodo and Bonga towns, according to the state’s marketing and cooperative bureau. The two centres cost the state 3.9 million Br to build. The centres will give coffee growing farmers in the nearby areas easier access to quality control and qualification services, said Ayana Abeto, head of the Bureau Government Communication Affairs Department.

Embassy to Inaugurate Chancery, Residence

The Ethiopian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan is going to inaugurate a complex built with an outlay of over 80 million Br. The Ethiopian Government decided to create an asset in Sudan by constructing a chancery and embassy residence building, according to Ali Abdo, Ethiopia's ambassador to Sudan. The complex will also undergo a facelift.